Looking for recommendations for a basic chartplotter. Nothing too fancy or expensive. Just something that will show where I am on the chart and show detailed depth contours (back bays and ocean). I won't need any of the other gimicky items and don't need to tie in depth/ff Hoping for something in the $400-$600 range if possible. Thanks.
Looking for recommendation for a basic chartplotter
- Thread starter merlin25
- Start date
i like the garmin equipment myself. there are a lot of plotters available. if you can kick the $ up, something like a 620 or 640 would give you auto and marine and touchscreen. check out the garmin site then look at the online retailers for best prices. ron
In my opinion all the units are pretty good. After price/budget I'd consider:
1. customer service/support (some manufactuers are great and others nightmares)
2. what/who's chart do you prefer (C-Map, Navionics, etc.)
Also, look at the other displays the unit provides besides the chart, ease of marking/saving a waypoint, etc.
1. customer service/support (some manufactuers are great and others nightmares)
2. what/who's chart do you prefer (C-Map, Navionics, etc.)
Also, look at the other displays the unit provides besides the chart, ease of marking/saving a waypoint, etc.
i would recommend garmin too, they have great customer service,if you have any questions about there units just call and they will explain everything to you.
Thanks for the input. A Garmin 440 comes with pre-loaded charts with an option for the Vision card. Any thoughts on if the pre-loaded charts are usually sufficient for basic navigation (depth contours, waypoints) or if the Vision upgrade is worth it?
if you can find a garmin GPSMAP 492 it would be all you need. I found one brand new in the box from a local boat dealer for $300. It has built in maps with all the detail I personally will ever need, including depth contours, navaids, etc. It has tide info as well and probably many other things I won't ever even know about!! It's a great but unfortunately discontinued unit. If you could find one new or like new I'd go for it.
Merlin, I have the 440s. I was not satisfied with the detail that I was getting in the bay (Raritan) I ordered the Vision card thinking I would get
better contour detail. I'm very dissapointed in it. It's just a bunch of gimicks with the fish eye view, mariners view, all soughts of views.
One guy on this sight told me that the contours and depth charts really don't kick in until you're somewhat offshore, which I found to be the case.
The 440 is very small and the screen loads up with a lot of clutter and not much detail in the bays.
better contour detail. I'm very dissapointed in it. It's just a bunch of gimicks with the fish eye view, mariners view, all soughts of views.
One guy on this sight told me that the contours and depth charts really don't kick in until you're somewhat offshore, which I found to be the case.
The 440 is very small and the screen loads up with a lot of clutter and not much detail in the bays.
Thanks for the suggestions Crazy and Gross. I have been checking out the 440 and 540 on the websites but I think I need check it out at the marine store or someone that has one to see the detail. Also looks like a slightly bigger screen is the only difference between the 440 and 540 (540 replaces the 492). Decisions decisions.
one follow up question Crazy. Is the lack of detail in the Raritan worse than what is on the basic paper chart for the area?
crazygrady said:
crazy, i don't know the 440, but the preloaded coastal charts on my units are the exact ones that you would buy as g2 bluecharts (not the vision). that, in turn, is the exact replica of the paper charts (with added stuff). if you are not getting the correct detail, check your setting to make sure you have it to the level you want. ron
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The smaller screen sizes (240 x 320) are not good for use as chartplotters. You need to go to a 525/535/545 series (480 x 640). These display have 4 times the pixels to display the detail.
The low resolution displays are hard to use because you can zoom in to see the detail but loose the big picture. If you zoom out you get the big picture but loose the detail. Doesn't sound like a problem but trying to fine a waypoint a few miles from where you are is a PITA. You basicly need to know where it is to find it!
I'm not a fan of the G2 Vision chips either. A unit with built-in coastal charts is a great choice unless you need the offshore bathmetric charts.
The smaller screen sizes (240 x 320) are not good for use as chartplotters. You need to go to a 525/535/545 series (480 x 640). These display have 4 times the pixels to display the detail.
The low resolution displays are hard to use because you can zoom in to see the detail but loose the big picture. If you zoom out you get the big picture but loose the detail. Doesn't sound like a problem but trying to fine a waypoint a few miles from where you are is a PITA. You basicly need to know where it is to find it!
I'm not a fan of the G2 Vision chips either. A unit with built-in coastal charts is a great choice unless you need the offshore bathmetric charts.
Merlin, no comparison in my opinion. when I'm in the bay all I get is channel markers, buoys, some depth readings. There is an adjustment for how much detail to shoe but no matter what level I set it at I find it
of very little use. Say I'm looking to dish the edge of Romar Shoal of find a drop off or ledge, there is now way that I can find for this unit to help me in the lease.
I might be doing something wrong, but I've read the book over and over and I'll be damned if I can get it to look anything like the paper charts.
of very little use. Say I'm looking to dish the edge of Romar Shoal of find a drop off or ledge, there is now way that I can find for this unit to help me in the lease.
I might be doing something wrong, but I've read the book over and over and I'll be damned if I can get it to look anything like the paper charts.
I use the Sea Clear 2 free software, NOAA downloaded maps, and an old tablet laptop with a usb receiver (delmore) got the hardware from E-bay for less than 200$.
I replaced the hard drive with a 40gb solid state drive so it can handle the chops. Not a good option for an open boat.
I replaced the hard drive with a 40gb solid state drive so it can handle the chops. Not a good option for an open boat.
Garmin is a favorite for GPS charting. Easy to use, good mapping chips/programs available for them.
Lowrance is also popular. I inherited a head unit with the boat, then added the transponder, gps antenna, and a chart chip. The 500/5000 series are the 5" screen, available as stand along or combo units, color and mono, and are reasonable in cost. You can add the accessories as you require/can afford. Consider spending a little more and get a combo plotter/finder. They provide a lot of information at a reasonable cost and are easy to work with.
When I got my unit hooked up it didn't work. I contacted Lowrance and without any proof of purchase, receipts, nothing, they had me send the head unit in and they replaced it, and quick. That's customer service, and I've heard the same thing from others.
I also have a handheld Garmin unit, a 60cs, with the BlueChart maps. It works remarkably well, however as mentioned, the small screen is hard to use for navigating. When you're bouncing in a seaway, forget about being able to view any chart detail on a small screen.
I use both when navigating a distance. I put a way point up on the handheld unit with the navigating rose, and the charting up on the Lowranced unit. I get all the detail I need, and can switch the combo unit over for fish finding and sounding. They are nice companions to each other. The finder also reports water temp, nice to have for fishing temp breaks.
Many of the more portable, self-contained chart units have the GPS antenna built in. The Lowrance combo units have nothing, it's just the display, so you have to get the accessory sending units to get it to do all of the available functions. This can add substantially to the cost.
There are some good used bargains as well. Depending on the model and the cost, could be worth considering. I picked up my GPS antenna and chart chips online for less than half of retail.
There are other brands and all are reported to be good quality. My experience is with the cheaper, simpler, units. The serious offshore guys all go Furuno. But they have mega bucks into their boats too, and room for the bigger displays, need for radar, and etc.
Lowrance is also popular. I inherited a head unit with the boat, then added the transponder, gps antenna, and a chart chip. The 500/5000 series are the 5" screen, available as stand along or combo units, color and mono, and are reasonable in cost. You can add the accessories as you require/can afford. Consider spending a little more and get a combo plotter/finder. They provide a lot of information at a reasonable cost and are easy to work with.
When I got my unit hooked up it didn't work. I contacted Lowrance and without any proof of purchase, receipts, nothing, they had me send the head unit in and they replaced it, and quick. That's customer service, and I've heard the same thing from others.
I also have a handheld Garmin unit, a 60cs, with the BlueChart maps. It works remarkably well, however as mentioned, the small screen is hard to use for navigating. When you're bouncing in a seaway, forget about being able to view any chart detail on a small screen.
I use both when navigating a distance. I put a way point up on the handheld unit with the navigating rose, and the charting up on the Lowranced unit. I get all the detail I need, and can switch the combo unit over for fish finding and sounding. They are nice companions to each other. The finder also reports water temp, nice to have for fishing temp breaks.
Many of the more portable, self-contained chart units have the GPS antenna built in. The Lowrance combo units have nothing, it's just the display, so you have to get the accessory sending units to get it to do all of the available functions. This can add substantially to the cost.
There are some good used bargains as well. Depending on the model and the cost, could be worth considering. I picked up my GPS antenna and chart chips online for less than half of retail.
There are other brands and all are reported to be good quality. My experience is with the cheaper, simpler, units. The serious offshore guys all go Furuno. But they have mega bucks into their boats too, and room for the bigger displays, need for radar, and etc.
Chartplotter
I would rate it about a toss up between Garmin and Lowrance. Probably depends more on product loyalty than anything else. I had the Lowrance 557(~$650 a few years back) :lol: and it worked great. The biggest reason I chose it was because Garmin was more expensive. Quality and accuracy are all very good. I'd recommend going into a marine store where they have several brands and playing with the display models. See which you like best and go with it. In my opinion, the Lowrance was a little easier to figure out w/o reading the manual first but the Garmin guys might feel differently. Good luck
I would rate it about a toss up between Garmin and Lowrance. Probably depends more on product loyalty than anything else. I had the Lowrance 557(~$650 a few years back) :lol: and it worked great. The biggest reason I chose it was because Garmin was more expensive. Quality and accuracy are all very good. I'd recommend going into a marine store where they have several brands and playing with the display models. See which you like best and go with it. In my opinion, the Lowrance was a little easier to figure out w/o reading the manual first but the Garmin guys might feel differently. Good luck